Two new appointments for planning department

RESIDENTS of Hinckley and Bosworth are benefitting from a speedier planning application process after a new director and head of planning have joined the council’s planning department.

A spokesperson for the council said: “After a slower process over the past couple of years, partly due to the pandemic and recruitment issues, new members of staff have joined existing planning officers to improve the customer focus and response. As a result, residents will have seen an improvement in the responses and updates to their queries, while the speed of processing applications has also increased significantly since summer 2022.

“Applications are now being dealt with quicker and the number of applications has reduced from a high of more than 500 live applications in summer 2022 to 304 pending consideration in March 2023. A further new round of recruitment is expected shortly, meaning the process will become even more efficient.

“The borough council understands that it is important that developers, both national and local, have confidence in the planning system locally.”

This boosts local home ownership and the economy of the local area. In recognition of this, the council is encouraging appropriate growth and development by:

■ Preparing a new Local Plan

■ Promoting neighbourhood plans

■ Securing growth and inward investment

■ Working with land agents and developers

■ Facilitating town centre regeneration

Executive Member for Planning at the borough council, Councillor David Bill, said: “The changes implemented have already help speed up our planning process.

“We recognise we struggled with planning staff shortages and the growing number of planning applications since the pandemic with delays and for that we apologise.

“However, we are confident that these positive changes to the planning department will see that we become better than ever before, and applications will be dealt with in a timely and efficient manner.”